PMC scouts for sites, shortlists stone quarries

Even as the imbroglio over villagers protesting against dumping of garbage generated in the city has temporarily settled with a December 31 deadline looming on the civic body, officials have zeroed in on four sites of the 80 sites, mainly closed stone quarries, shown to the civic body for garbage dumping and treatment using scientific methods.

Collectorate officials would hold meetings with private quarry owners. The district administration had proposed these stone quarrying sites at the start of the year.

“We have had a preliminary assessment of the sites and temporarily zeroed in on four sites where the owners have shown willingness. However, in the present scenario, we will require 8-10 sites. We should finalise the same in the coming week,’’ said senior officials from the PMC.

Meanwhile, District Collector Saurabh Rao, who attended the meeting with the chief minister two days ago, said the list of sites were already passed on to the civic administration. “We have asked them to ready the final list of sites and then we can start talking to the owners. The sites will have to be readied for the scientific treatment of garbage,” said Rao.

Officials at the collectorate said there were two sites, one from Dhairi and one from Sus where private owners have shown willingness to give out quarries for scientific treatment of garbage. “It is upto the civic body to quicken the process and we will help in the acquisition process,” said the officials.

Among the government sites proposed by the collectorate officials, two sites are at Wadgaon Shinde, two at Wagholi and one at Hadapsar. The list of private owners had five sites at Dhanori, 12 at Wadgaon Shinde, 39 sites at Wagholi, 25 at Loni Khand and 8 at Wadgaon Dhairi.

The sites will have to be filled after acquisition and this would take time, said civic officials. The officials said that once the sites have been finalised this would help in treatment of tonnes of garbage. “Of these, most of the quarries identified are abandoned. Those quarries near the airport cannot be used for dumping and can only be used after taking permission from the Indian Air Force and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board,’’ said the officials.

With the deadline of December 31 set after protests by Phursungi villagers and the intervention of the Chief Minister, the civic body has two new processing plants and hope these landfill sites would help in clearing garbage. “With more villages to be added within PMC limits, more of these sites will help in garbage processing,’’ said the official. With scientific treatment of garbage at these dumping sites, there will not be any issue, hopes PMC officials in the wake of the Phursungi garbage row.